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Teen Scene

MAY 8, 2012
Dear Bully edited by Megan Kelley Hall and Carrie Jones
While the destructiveness of bullying is forefront in the news these days, bullying and its causes and solutions are complex. This book, which is a compilation of essays by 70 authors for teens, doesn’t attempt to put this complicated subject into a tidy package, and I think that’s why this book works so well.  The essays cover the most blatant kind of bullying—physically and verbally abusing peers—but it also talks about shunning and isolating, spreading rumors, hazing, and mean “friends.” The essays cover not only the effects of bullying on the victim, but also on the bully, as well as the silent observers who don’t come to the victims’ defense. The honesty of these stories make this both a painful and cathartic read.  There are victims who used the bullying to become stronger, and victims who can’t escape the reverberations even as successful adults. There are bullies who still don’t understand why they did it years later, and bullies who are sadly aware of the pain they caused.  But throughout the book, there’s a strong message: it’s good to be you, no matter how different you are, and it’s good to appreciate the differences in everyone you encounter. Reading “Dear Bully” has the potential to be a life-changing journey for the reader. It will give strength and comfort to the victim, compassion to the bully, and courage to fearful bystanders to become involved. Some foul language. Grades 6 and up.

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